Late Capitalist Sublime

Christina Pike is a member of the Evaluation Division, Department of
Education, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

In his blurb on the back cover, Michael Turner associates Ryan Kamstra
with “Ginsburg, Dylan, Schooly D and Beck.” Indeed, Kamstra does fit
in the beat tradition of Ginsburg and Ferlinghetti. Late Capitalist
Sublime can be thought of as a kind of updated version of Ginsburg’s
Howl.

The poems are divided into four parts: “Late Capitalist Sublime,”
“Heaven’s Low Horizon,” “Glamour for the Hellbound,” and
“Ambient Dispersions.” The collection as a whole is an overview of
contemporary society that focuses on the very rich and the very poor,
and their respective searches for authenticity and meaning in the
context of late capitalist society.

Kamstra’s poetry lacks individual style, so perhaps it owes too great
a debt to Ginsburg and the beat vision. It also lacks a mastery of
technique. At the same time, Kamstra’s work has real potential. I
recommend Ginsburg and Ferlinghetti, and I recommend Kamstra as a poet
who works fairly well within their beat shadow.